Career and Education Opportunities for Bakers in Gresham, Oregon

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for bakers in the Gresham, Oregon area. About 2,420 people are currently employed as bakers in Oregon. By 2016, this is expected to grow by 13% to 2,730 people employed. This is better than the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for bakers are expected to grow by about 0.2%. In general, bakers mix and bake ingredients according to recipes to produce breads, rolls, or other baked goods.

Bakers earn approximately $11 hourly or $24,460 annually on average in Oregon. Nationally they average about $11 per hour or $23,290 yearly. Compared with people working in the overall category of Food, people working as bakers in Oregon earn less. They earn less than people working in the overall category of Food nationally.

The Gresham area is home to forty-six schools of higher education, including three within twenty-five miles of Gresham where you can get a degree as a baker. Given that the most common education level for bakers is a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to spend only a short time studying to be a baker if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Baker

In general, bakers mix and bake ingredients according to recipes to produce breads, rolls, or other baked goods.

Bakers measure and weigh flour and other ingredients to ready batters and icings, using scales and graduated containers. They also set oven temperatures and place items into hot ovens for baking. Equally important, bakers have to check apparatus to insure that it meets health and safety regulations and perform maintenance or cleaning, as needed. They are often called upon to check the quality of raw materials to insure that standards and specifications are met. They are expected to combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing or cooking machinery. Finally, bakers order and receive supplies and equipment.

Every day, bakers are expected to be able to listen to and understand others in meetings. They need to see details at a very fine level of focus.

It is important for bakers to place dough in pans or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills. They are often called upon to ready and maintain inventory and production records. They also roll and shape dough to fashion sweet rolls and other products. They are sometimes expected to adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked. Somewhat less frequently, bakers are also expected to combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing or cooking machinery.

Bakers sometimes are asked to order and receive supplies and equipment. They also have to be able to operate slicing and wrapping machines And finally, they sometimes have to roll and shape dough to fashion sweet rolls and other products.

Like many other jobs, bakers must be reliable and be thorough and dependable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Gresham include:

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Baker Training

Western Culinary Institute - Portland, OR

Western Culinary Institute, 600 SW 10th Avenue, Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205. Western Culinary Institute is a small school located in Portland, Oregon. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs and has 806 students. Western Culinary Institute has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef which graduated forty-six and ninety-six students respectively in 2008.

Pioneer Pacific College - Wilsonville, OR

Pioneer Pacific College, 27501 SW Parkway Ave, Wilsonville, OR 97070-9296. Pioneer Pacific College is a small college located in Wilsonville, Oregon. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 1,123 students. Pioneer Pacific College has a less than one year program in Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef which graduated twenty-two students in 2008.

Clark College - Vancouver, WA

Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663-3598. Clark College is a large college located in Vancouver, Washington. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 10,378 students. Clark College has less than one year, one to two year, and associate's degree programs in Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef which graduated ten, one, and three students respectively in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

LOCATION INFORMATION: Gresham, Oregon

Gresham, Oregon photo by Amadeust

Gresham is situated in Multnomah County, Oregon. It has a population of over 101,221, which has grown by 12.2% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Gresham, 100, is near the national average. New single-family homes in Gresham cost $219,200 on average, which is above the state average. In 2008, one hundred three new homes were built in Gresham, down from three hundred five the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Gresham are health care, accommodation and food services, and educational services. For men, it is construction, accommodation and food services, and administrative and support and waste management services. The average travel time to work is about 27 minutes. More than 18.4% of Gresham residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 4.9%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Gresham is 10.8%, which is greater than Oregon's average of 10.6%.

The percentage of Gresham residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 45.7%, is less than the national average but more than the state average. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Charismatic Churches Independent.

Gresham is home to the Linnemann and the Ruby Junction Maintenance Facility-Portland Light Rail System as well as Kane City Park and Davis City Park. Visitors to Gresham can choose from Best Western, Gresham Suites and Shilo Inn-Gresham for temporary stays in the area.